FC Bayern München played some fantastic football against Real Madrid but they were undone by their own failings to lose 3:4 on aggregate.

Same s*it different year

There was urgency in the squad when the game began. Thomas Müller and Franck Ribéry were busy crossing with the help of David Alaba and Joshua Kimmich.

The team, driven by James Rodríguez, created chance after chance but it failed to convert many. Passes were overhit or inaccurate and players such as Müller or Ribéry failed to take shots when they should have done so.

Creativity and pace was on the Bavarian side, but two mistakes cost the tie on the night. David Alaba’s failure to cover Karim Benzema gifted Real Madrid the first goal. Then, a bad pass by Corentin Tolisso and a rare howler by Sven Ulreich put the final nail in Bayern’s coffin.

Just as they gave away the first leg, Die Bayern gave the semi in the second.

RUEFA rears its ugly head

As it often happens in important ties against Real Madrid in the Champions League, the referee had a negative impact on the game.

In the 45th minute, Marcelo blocked the ball with his hand for everybody to see, but the referee decided not to see it.

It’s not a coincidence that teams always fail to get the calls against Real, especially IN Madrid. There is a problem beyond incompetence if you know what I mean.

Masterclasses from James, Süle and Thiago

Kudos to James Rodríguez for being the main attacking engine in this game. He played like a football god and gave everything, to the point where he had nothing in the tank past the 75th minute.

In defence, Niklas Süle did everything you could ask a centre-back to do. He stopped Cristiano Ronaldo, made plays going forward and ventured into right-back territory to cross the ball for the James goal. This kid will go far.

Thiago Alcântara handled two-way traffic, helping the attack and going back deep within the back line to defend. He put in a hell of a shift!

Danke Jupp

At the end of the day, we have to give credit to Jupp Heynckes for bringing FC Bayern this far. His tutelage turned a struggling team into a team that was strong enough to challenge Real on their own turf.